Fast Travel

Friday. March 21, 2025

View source code on GitHub

Try it out

Fast Travel

Supercharge your search bar

Fast Travel is a Bunnylol-inspired, configurable, command-based search engine replacement that you can easily host on GitHub Pages. It streamlines your searches and navigates the web quickly with a lightweight, static engine designed for speed and simplicity.

For example:

• Typing g kittens will search for “kittens” on Google.
• Typing ddg privacy will search for “privacy” on DuckDuckGo.
• Typing r/technology will take you directly to the r/technology subreddit.
• Typing hn will take you directly to Hacker News.
• Typing apps balatro will search for “balatro” on Steam on desktop, the Google Play Store on Android, and the App Store on iOS.
• Typing $AAPL will open the Yahoo Finance stock quote page for AAPL.

Features

• Configurable Commands: Easily modify, add, or remove search commands.
• Lightweight & Fast: Optimized for speed with a minimalistic design and static hosting.
• Device-Aware Routing: Automatically directs your queries based on your device (Windows, Android, iOS, etc.).
• Typo Detection: Automatically detects and suggests corrections for misspelled commands.

Setup Instructions

1. Fork the Repository:
   Click the “Fork” button on the repository page to create your own copy.

2. Deploy on GitHub Pages:
   • Update the page URL in your repository settings (navigate to Settings > Pages > Custom domain) or configure the CNAME file.
   • It is recommended to use a subdomain (e.g., fast-travel.yourdomain.com) or a root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) rather than deploying on a subdirectory (e.g., yourdomain.com/fast-travel), as not all platforms correctly recognize subdirectory URLs for search engines.

3. Optional – Enable GitHub Actions:
   If you experience workflow failures, consider enabling GitHub Actions with write access to ensure necessary updates are applied.

4. Optional – Update Your Config:
   Open the config.json file to modify, add, or remove commands and routes.

5. Replace Your Search Engine:
   Follow these steps to replace your default search engine in popular browsers:

   Chrome on Windows/MacOS

   1. Open **Settings > Search Engine > Manage search engines** or paste `chrome://settings/searchEngines` into your address bar. 2. In the "Site search" (or "Other search engines") section, click **Add**. 3. Fill in the details: - **Search engine:** Fast Travel - **Shortcut:** (e.g., `ft`) - **URL:** `https://fast-travel.yourdomain.com?q=%s` 4. Click **Add**. 5. Next to your new entry, click the menu icon and select **Make default**.
   Chrome on Android/iOS

   1. Visit your Fast Travel page (e.g., `https://fast-travel.yourdomain.com`). 2. Perform a search using Fast Travel. (Don't skip this step.) 3. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner. 4. Choose **Settings**, then **Search engine**. 5. Select **Fast Travel** from the "Recently visited" section.
   Firefox on Windows/MacOS

   1. Visit your Fast Travel page (e.g., `https://fast-travel.yourdomain.com`). 2. Right-click on the address bar and choose **Add Fast Travel**. 3. Open the hamburger menu in the top-right corner, then go to **Settings > Search**. 4. In the "Default Search Engine" section, select **Fast Travel** from the drop-down menu.
   Firefox on Android/iOS

   1. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner. 2. Choose **Settings**, then **Search**. 3. Select **Default Search Engine**, then **+ Add Search Engine** 4. Fill in the details: - **Name:** Fast Travel - **Search string URL:** `https://fast-travel.yourdomain.com?q=%s` 5. Select Fast Travel

   Note:
   Using a custom domain (like fast-travel.yourdomain.com or yourdomain.com) is preferred over a subdirectory deployment for optimal compatibility.

How the Commands Work

Fast Travel uses a command-based syntax defined in the config.json file. Commands are processed sequentially—if a query matches multiple patterns, the first match is used. Here’s how to use and customize them:

Basic Command Usage

• Open the Page:
  • Syntax: <command>
  • Example: Typing g opens the default Google homepage.
• Search a Query:
  • Syntax: <command> <query>
  • Example: Typing g kittens searches for “kittens” on Google using the command’s fallback URL.
• Prefix Commands
  • Syntax: <prefix><term>[ <additional query>]
  • Examples:
    • Typing r/technology immediately opens the Reddit page for the r/technology subreddit.
    • Typing $AAPL opens the Yahoo Finance quote page for AAPL.
• Subcommands / Custom Patterns
  • Syntax: <command> <subcommand>/<query> or using a custom regex defined in the config.
  • Examples:
    • Typing yt subs opens your YouTube subscriptions.
    • Typing gh u/DoubleGremlin181 searches for DoubleGremlin181’s profile on GitHub.

OS-Specific Options

Fast Travel adjusts its behavior based on your device’s operating system. The config.json file includes routes optimized for various platforms:

• Desktop: Windows, MacOS, Linux
• Mobile: Android, iOS
• Fallback: Use * to apply to all devices

For instance, the apps command provides different routing options depending on whether you’re on Android (using the Play Store), iOS (using the App Store), or Desktop (using the Steam Store).

Customizing Commands

• Editing the Config:
  Open the config.json file to modify, add, or remove commands and their routes. You can customize:
  • Default URLs: The page that opens when no query is provided.
  • Fallback URLs: Used for searches by appending the query to a specified URL.
  • Custom Patterns: Regex or pattern-based routing (e.g., gh u/DoubleGremlin181) for advanced operations. These patterns typically follow the subcommand/<parameter> structure.
  • Type: Commands can either be default (space delimited) or prefix (starts with) type.
• Order of Processing:
  The file is parsed sequentially. If a query matches multiple patterns, the first match is used. Arrange your custom patterns accordingly to ensure the desired behavior.

Tip: Adding debug=true to the URL parameters prints debug statements to the console and adds a 3s delay.

Credits

Ten Blue Links

Thanks to Ten Blue Links for serving as a valuable reference on how to replace the default search engine.

Favicon

This favicon was generated using graphics from Twitter Twemoji:

• Author: Copyright 2020 Twitter, Inc and other contributors (GitHub Repository)
• Source: 1f50e.svg
• License: CC-BY 4.0

Kavish Hukmani

TODO Add a witty bio

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